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Written by: Angelia Greiner

Written by: Angelia Greiner. Who was Charles Dickens?. Considered by many as greatest Victorian writer Prolific author Writings: commentary on own life and Victorian society. It was the best of times….

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Written by: Angelia Greiner

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  1. Written by: Angelia Greiner

  2. Who was Charles Dickens? • Considered by many as greatest Victorian writer • Prolific author • Writings: commentary on own life and Victorian society

  3. It was the best of times… “It was the best of times, it was the worst of times, it was the age of wisdom, it was the age of foolishness, it was the epoch of belief, it was the epoch of incredulity, it was the season of Light, it was the season of Darkness, it was the spring of hope, it was the winter of despair, …” — Charles Dickens, A Tale of Two Cities (1859) Single click speaker to hear audio clip >>>>

  4. Life and Times Best of Times Worst of Times • New inventions • Growth of cities • Opportunity for wealth • New ideas • Pollution • Disease • Strict social classes • Conflict within the individual and with others

  5. The Victorian Age 1837-1901

  6. Daily Life • Working conditions • Sanitation and disease • Social problems

  7. The Rain “In the country, the rain would leave developed a thousand fresh scents, and every drop would have had its bright association with some beautiful form of growth or life. In the city, it developed only foul stale smells, and was a sickly, lukewarm, dirt-stained, wretched addition to the gutters.” —Charles Dickens, from Little Dorrit Single click speaker to hear audio clip >>>>

  8. Crime and Consequences • Common Crimes • Pickpocketing • Murder • Prostitution • Common Consequences • Hanging • Prison

  9. Jack the Ripper • Represents classic whodunit • Ferociousness of murders • Suddenly disappeared

  10. Darwin Science and Philosophy • The Great Exhibition • Charles Darwin • Karl Marx and Frederick Engels

  11. Portsmouth Charles Dickens • Born February 7, 1812 in Portsmouth, England

  12. John Dickens Elizabeth Dickens Dickens: The Man • Born to John and Elizabeth Dickens

  13. Early Years • Educated at William Gile’s school • Family moved to Camden Town • Father imprisoned for debt

  14. Defining Times • Charles worked at factory to support family • Father rejoined family • Charles attended academy

  15. Dickens Factory—Video Single click screen to view video

  16. Other Defining Moments • Family evicted from home for non-payment of rent • Left school and became a clerk for Ellis and Blackmore • Became a freelance reporter

  17. Hogarth A Young Man • Became reporter for The Morning Chronicle • Published first story in 1833 • Met future wife, Catherine Hogarth

  18. 1836—A Time of Change • Published first bookSketches by Boz • Married Catherine Hogarth • Began serialization of The Pickwick Papers • Left The Morning Chronicle • Became editor of Bentley’s Miscellany

  19. Birth of Works and Children • Nicholas Nickleby • Old Curiosity Shop • Children: Charles, Mary, Kate, and Walter

  20. A Christmas Carol • Published on December 19, 1843 • Instant success at its publication • Theme of redemption

  21. The Cricket on the Hearth The Prolific Writer at Work • 1844: The Chimes • 1845: The Cricket on the Hearth • 1846: Dombey and Son • 1848: The Haunted Man • 1849: David Copperfield

  22. The 1850s • Dickens created and edited a new journal • Dickens family moved to Tavistock House • Wrote novels emphasizing theme

  23. Final Years • Dickens sustained injuries in train crash • Began final tour in America • Died June 9, 1870

  24. Dickens’ Audience • Middle and lower classes of society • Had experienced poverty firsthand • Educated and successful writer • Lived a middleclass lifestyle

  25. Dickens and His Characters • Characters semi-autobiographical • Characters also composites of real people

  26. Early Works • Two main categories of novels • Plot • Theme

  27. List of Early Works • Sketches by Boz (1836) • The Pickwick Papers (1836-1837) • Oliver Twist (1837-1838) • Nicholas Nickleby (1838-1839) • The Old Curiosity Shop (1840-1841) • Barnaby Rudge (1841) • Martin Chuzzlewit (1843-1844) • Dombey and Son (1846-1847) • David Copperfield (1849-1850)

  28. Character • Original • Composite • Flat or static

  29. Themes • Individual and his or her environment • Individual morality

  30. Become One’s Own Hero “Marley was dead, to begin with. There is no doubt whatever about that.” — Charles Dickens, A Christmas Carol (1843) Single click speaker to hear audio clip >>>>

  31. A Christmas Carol Video Single click screen to view video

  32. List of Later Works • Bleak House (1852-1853) • Hard Times (1854) • Little Dorrit (1855-1857) • A Tale of Two Cities (1859) • Great Expectations (1860-1861) • Our Mutual Friend (1864-1865) • The Mystery of Edwin Drood (1870)

  33. Themes • Power of institutionalized evil • People’s moral obligation to society

  34. Dickens’ Style • Humor • Language • Syntax “You may be an undigested bit of beef, a blot of mustard, a crumb of cheese, a fragment of an underdone potato. There’s more of gravy than of grave about you, whatever you are!” —Scrooge’s response to the visit of Marley’s ghost in A Christmas Carol

  35. Concluding Thoughts • Personal life reflected the times • Stories focused on the individual and environment • Writing style met needs of readers • Emphasized love and redemption

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